The Maple Leafs…started on time last night?! Is that allowed? Apparently it is, and they did. This is NOT a drill, people! Well, I suppose that’s progress, right? Auston Matthew showed up to play tonight with two high-quality goals and a brilliant back check(?!) to nullify a breakaway. Another positive is that the Leafs, including…

Much has been made about the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending situation thus far. It seems as if we can’t go a single back-to-back without falling into an argument on Twitter — the kind which universally take the form of backhanded slaps directed at Mike Babcock. So, here’s the sitch: having worked in an NHL office,…

On the second game of a back to back, it seemed like the Leafs gave up an odd-man rush or breakaway every 5 minutes. The much-discussed defence struggled tonight — particularly Barrie, who gift-wrapped multiple goals on the evening. I think Andersen stops the first two goals, but anytime you’re asking your goalie to stop…

Well, the Leafs got a point…on the back of Freddy Andersen. In a game that some would argue he shouldn’t have played, he gave up two early ones, could’ve been pulled, but ended up being the reason the Leafs got a point tonight. The Leafs, to no one’s surprise, didn’t start on time – and…

The Leafs came into Washington on the second night of a back to back and played 22 minutes of hockey — the first period and the last two minutes of the third. That isn’t going to win you many games, if any, and certainly not against Washington. For some reason, Rielly played almost 28 minutes…

On Monday morning, the Maple Leafs Leafs announced that Rasmus Sandin had been loaned to the Marlies. The fresh-faced rookie has played six games with the big club before his demotion, averaging 12:13 in ice-time. That’s about what you’d expect from a kid playing sheltered minutes on the third pairing, especially under a coach known…

It’s become a one-liner; “Mike Babcock needs his toys taken away.” This summer, most of Leafs Nation began to think that, with Nikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey gone, there would be no more “toys” left for Babcock to play with. “Toy”, in this case, is used to describe a certain player who either: a) shouldn’t…

After what seemed like an eternity, even though it was only ~16 months, each of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ young stars is signed until the end of the 2024 season. So, please, for the sake of your own sanity (and mine), do not start hollering about Morgan Rielly yet. For the first time in over…

Nicholas Robertson Position: C/LW Physical: 5’9″, 161 pounds Age: 17 2018 TLN Prospect Ranking: N/A Draft Information: 2nd round, 53rd overall in 2019 ‘Tis the first week of September, which means we are down to the top four prospects. Next up is who is I believe to be the Leafs’ best forward prospect, Nicholas Robertson….

‘Tis the dogs days of summer ladies and gentlemen, and let’s face it, if someone even mentions Mitch Marner (or his dog), someone else will tweet about it. This is something I find incredibly frustrating. Some random dude thinks he hears something, tweets it out, and then everyone jumps on it. In fact, an acquaintance…

The Athletic’s resident scouting guru, Corey Pronman, is releasing his NHL Prospect Pool Rankings day-by-day. On Monday, he landed the Toronto Maple Leafs 21st out of the 31 systems in the NHL. That’s not great. And yet, considering that the team has made the playoffs for 3 straight years and didn’t have a first-round pick…

Nick Abruzzese Position: Centre Age: 20 2018 TLN Prospect Ranking: N/A Draft Information: 4th round, 124th overall in 2019 In our next edition of Long Shots, TLN features Nick Abruzzese. Drafted 124th overall, in the 4th round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Leafs, Abruzzese was in his third year of draft eligibility. The…